A Tree Nymph butterfly at the Butterfly Rainforest exhibit at the University of Florida on Saturday, February 19, 2011. This is one of thousands of butterlfies on display at the exhibit which is part of the renowned butterfly research division at UF.

A Tree Nymph butterfly at the Butterfly Rainforest exhibit at the University of Florida on Saturday, February 19, 2011. This is one of thousands of butterlfies on display at the exhibit which is part of the renowned butterfly research division at UF. (Tom Burton/Orlando Sentinel)

When I first began visiting the Florida Museum of Natural History with my kids in the mid-1990s, the buzz was all about dinosaurs and bones, topics of interest for little boys in the era of post-"Jurassic Park" dino fever.

The Butterfly Rainforest, a 6,400 square-foot living exhibit at the museum on the University of Florida campus in Gainesville, supports a population of hundreds of species acquired from butterfly farms in the Philippines, Malaysia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Suriname, Ecuador, Belize and Florida that help protect natural habitats and promote conservation.

Turns out that spring is prime viewing time for butterflies, which don't like to venture out much when the temperature dips below 60 degrees. Much like native Floridians.

Exhibits take visitors through the science of Lepidoptera, covering everything from "What is a Butterfly?" to worldwide conservation issues.

The centerpiece is the Wall of Wings, a steel structure 210 feet long and nearly three stories high, which showcases thousands of butterfly and moth specimens and photographs. Large-scale plasma screens feature footage of butterflies from North, South and Central America, Africa and Asia.

On the lower wall, there are hundreds of specimens that illustrate butterfly and moth biology.

If you'd like to start your own butterfly garden at home, time your visit to take advantage of one of the butterfly-friendly plant sales on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Experts are available to explain how to attract butterflies to your home. Native, nectar, host and accent plants are for sale, with proceeds benefiting the Florida Museum's Butterfly Rainforest.

Visitors also can watch live butterfly releases at 2, 3 and 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, weather permitting. Butterfly Rainforest is open seven days a week, year-round, except for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Beat the heat throughout Florida with our brand new Florida Museum Guide. Find information on some of Florida's best art, history and science museums, aquariums, and more. Whether you're in North, Central or South Florida, there is definitely a museum worth visiting.